# Country Western Singers & Oversized Cowboy Hats **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989 "2004-11-10T05:23:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/1 "2004-11-10T05:23:35Z")
So what’s the deal with male CW singers wearing oversized cowboy hats, most of the time black hats? Is it a Garth Brooks talisman, hoping it will bring them singing success? It is a euphemism for their egoes or a body part? Or is it supposed to be oversized because some are so ugly they would scare the maggots off of roadkill if the brim shadow didn’t hide their faces? Don’t get me wrong. Some of them are decent singers and the hat actually detracts from their performance. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/2 "2004-11-10T13:29:49Z")
Many times, I think it’s a hair thing. Garth and Chesney have seriously receding hairlines. Even Tim McGraw is starting to lose some volume on top. So, I chalk it up to vanity about hair. Now, as for why Toby or guys like him wear them, I think they’re just posturing a lot of the time. And another thing! Every good ol’ boy knows: you take the damn hat off when you’re inside! (I’ll let it slide during performances, it’s part of a costume then. Otherwise… OFF!) ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/3 "2004-11-10T15:32:54Z")
It’s 'cause Nashville sells product, not music. The great Robbie Fulks wrote a song that addressed the current state of country music, and the hat thing as well. Lyrics: Well, I came down to Nashville in 1993 ‘Cause my friend Jim said Nashville had money growin’ right on the trees So I thought I’d go pick some, and I don’t mean musically. Now it’s 4 years later, and I’m wonderin’ where I went wrong Shook a lotta hands, ate a lotta lunch, wrote a lotta dumbass songs But I couldn’t get a break in Nashville, if I tried my whole life long So, fuck this town…fuck this town Fuck it end-to-end, fuck it up and down Can’t get noticed – can’t get found – can’t get a cut, so Fuck this town. Hey, this ain’t country-western! It’s just soft-rock feminist crap! And I thought they’d struck bottom back back in the days of Ronnie Milsap Now they can’t stop the flood of assholes: there ain’t a big enough ASCAP. Sure, I like old Tim Carroll, and BR5-49 But Nashville don’t need that noise, no, Nashville’ll do just fine As long as there’s a moron market And a faggot in a hat to sign. Fuck this town! Fuck this town! Fuck…this…town. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/4 "2004-11-10T16:59:52Z")
It’s entertainment. They’re doing an impression of a thumbtack. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/5 "2004-11-10T17:13:00Z")
Thumbtacks? They look more like mushrooms to me. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/6 "2004-11-10T17:33:42Z")
What do you mean, “oversized”? They’re not oversized, that’s just the size cowboy hats are. Everyday man-on-the-street Texans wear them, too. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/7 "2004-11-10T18:08:47Z")
“Everyday man-on-the-street Texans” are often bald, too. Whenever I see some drugstore cowboy strutting around in his Stetson I thank my lucky stars that my full head of soft, lustrous hair is too slippery for a hat to stay on. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/8 "2004-11-10T18:13:40Z")
I know that Alan Jackson wears a hat to cover a scar on the top of his forehead. He got it after a pretty bad fall as a kid, and he wears the hat to hide it. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/9 "2004-11-10T18:41:51Z")
Thank you **racinchikki**. But I did notice that Toby Keith was wearing a stupid-looking _under_sized hat last night on the Country Music Awards. He looked like a pinhead. A small hat wouldn’t be all that good for keeping the sun off your ears and the back of your neck. I wear one all the time, even if some people at work think I look like a dope. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/10 "2004-11-10T18:44:45Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > “Everyday man-on-the-street Texans” are often bald, too. Whenever I see some drugstore cowboy strutting around in his Stetson I thank my lucky stars that my full head of soft, lustrous hair is too slippery for a hat to stay on. 😃 Maybe if you washed your hair every now and then the hat would stay on and not slide off your oily head. 😃 Oh and I agree that they are not oversized. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/11 "2004-11-10T19:03:16Z")
Yeah, some of those guys are mighty undersized, too. Ever stand next to Kenny Chesney? He’s tiny! Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson seem pretty normal sized. And Toby is a monster. So, adjust hat size proportions accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/12 "2004-11-10T20:23:36Z")
Alan Jackson’s pretty tall, I think. And yes, Toby is a big man, which made his little teeny hat look even funnier last night. Normally, he wears one with a big, flat brim and a flat top, which is more in proportion to his size. [Here’s](http://tinyurl.com/45mwr) a picture. I guess it’s not a tiny hat after all, just ridiculously rolled up. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/13 "2004-11-10T20:33:03Z")
You’ve never heard the phrase “hat act” before? It usually refers to a country singer who uses their hat as a gimmick, to cover their lack of musical talent. The hat also helps identify them as country singers, even if they’re singing ballads or '50s style rock and roll. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/14 "2004-11-10T20:46:22Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Maybe if you washed your hair every now and then the hat would stay on and not slide off your oily head. 😃 It’s the other way around. When it’s clean my hair, being so long, luxurious, soft, full, and fine, is extremely slippery. When it’s dirty it can hold onto a hat better, but still not nearly as well as bare, bald skin. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/15 "2004-11-10T22:24:06Z")
Did anybody here see **Friday Night Lights**? That hat seriously helps Tim McGraw pretend to have hair. (It seems he could transplant some chest hair, too.) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/16 "2004-11-10T22:35:13Z")
Loved that movie! And it took me till halfway through the movie before it clicked for me who he was. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/17 "2004-11-10T23:12:34Z")
Hee. I still prefer to imagine Toby Keith looking like a pinhead. That made me laugh. And this whole thing is making me think of the phrase “all hat and no cattle”. No reason. ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/18 "2004-11-10T23:28:52Z")
It always seemed to me that the subject matter of CW Music was “the South”. It always seemed that “the South” was the country, and everyplace else outside the South was “THE CITY”. **Heavens to Murgatroyd!!!** What percentage of country music is “south-centered” today? If it’s quite a lot, why don’t they just call it Southern Music? ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/19 "2004-11-10T23:31:43Z")
I hadn’t noticed a South bias at all, on my own. Thinking about it, I guess I could think of a few songs that are pretty Southern, but I think there are more that are Texan. Lots of country music just appeals to rural people all over the country (and I think Canada too - they put out their fair share of singers.) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989/20 "2004-11-10T23:38:12Z")
Don’t forget Bakersfield, California. Buck Owens. Dwight Yokum. And all the Okies. Reba. Garth. Rascal Flats. Country and Western. Not just Southern. Not just rural. Don’t forget Southern Rock of the 70s and 80s, either. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/country-western-singers-oversized-cowboy-hats/273989.md?page=2)